Races of Isaldor - The Udrezo
Average Height: 12-16 inches Average Weight: 1.5 - 2.3 Ibs Common Eye Colors: Black Common Feather Colors (Female): Black; Grey; Silver Common Feather Colors (Male): Blue; Red; Yellow; Purple; Green; Orange; Various Type of Creature: Bird Agile in the air, and regal on the ground, Udrezos are sapient birds that seem to have distant relationships with other bird species, making it very difficult to determine a common ancestor. Unlike every other bird species however, Udrezos don’t have feet. In the place where talons or feet would be, they instead have human-like arms and hands (mostly covered in feathers, with the exception of the actual hands). They have opposable thumbs, but otherwise the physiology is very much like a bird’s talons - they have an incredibly strong grip. The bird species that Udrezos most resembles is either the hummingbird or the peacock. Like hummingbirds, Udrezo have the ability to fly backwards. They can also fly stationary, but it takes immense effort and they jostle back and forth quickly. This is odd because the Udrezo are larger than any species of hummingbird, at about the size of a parrot. Also, they feed on insects, not nector like hummingbirds do. Udrezos also are like hummingbirds due to their rather large amount of sexual dimorphism. The females have rather dull colors like black or grey or silver (although it would be rather offensive to call the colors dull to their face). The males exhibit many tropical colors, and no two have the same exact patterns. Not even their children (although the patterns would be more similar than say generating the patterns randomly). What is handed down from parent to child seem to be patterns of speckles. The females exhibit these on the back of their head, and the males have them on the underside of their wings. These facts have shaped many of the Udrezos cultures, all over the world. The udrezo beak is clearly designed for picking insects out of trees, however with their more modern tools they tend to eat things larger than that. Udrezos are largely omnivorous though with likes for seeds and fruits. However, their vocality is strange. Udrezos are not like macaws or parrots. They can only speak through various tones of song, of which they have developed complex language within. This has affected the Udrezos concept of music. It is unlikely that any Udrezo would find a song, written for artistic or pleasurable purposes, enjoyable in the same way a human would be unlikely to find someone repeating the same words or same few words over and over again enjoyable. “Udrezo” is just a commonly agreed upon spelling of the tones that come together when an udrezo whistles/sings the name of her kind. A modern udrezo can live upwards of 50 years, with access to many types of medicine. Without our modern aid, udrezo scantily make 30 years. This is largely in principle, as (due to their size) old age is not the primary cause of death for an udrezo. Udrezo have managed to maintain their population through a high birth rate of around 7 per family. Laying eggs instead of mammalian pregnancy has given the udrezo certain advantages and disadvantages when it comes to propagating the species. Depending on the era, udrezos vie with humans for the most populous race on Isaldor. History, Demographics, and Origins Udrezo originated on the continent of Oriray, along the equator. While they may have wings, travelling across the ocean was not an option. The winds from the nearest landmass, Zykim, tend to blow inwards. So the udrezo people tended to stay on their continent. The geography of Orirary is divided between tall mountains in the west, a jungle in the north, and a grasslands/savannah area in the south. The oldest udrezo settlements are in the northern jungles, specifically the country of Askeley and Mulori - by the river. The udrezo were quite advanced, relatively speaking. Udrezo cities tend to be build right into the trees with doors only large enough for them. It gets to the point where you would not be able to see an Udrezo forest or jungle city, even if you were standing right in the middle of that, but that will be expanded upon in their culture segment. After the Udrezo drove a certain predatory spider to extinction, they were quite safe in their homes. The innovation of farming on top of that allowed their population to explode. The plant that lead to their discovery of farming? Bamboo. For an Udrezo city, bamboo is exceptionally useful. It grows quickly. It’s hollow and pipelike. It’s relatively strong and relatively easy to cut. This allowed them to develop irrigation systems, collecting rainwater and funnelling right into their homes. It could also be used to construct buildings or weapons, and it was. It’s known that alchemy originated with the ancient Udrezo. They were able to learn that certain plants could have certain effects on the mind and body. A big enough population will want to expand. The problem is that there were only so many jungles or Orirary. The only other places to expand were on grasslands, and mountains. Cities around there originally turned out unsuccessful. Things like bamboo walls were easily surpassed by things like hyenas and lions, and trees do not grow well in grasslands. This is until the udrezo developed stoneworking and mining. The exact reason why they did so is unknown, but udrezo carried many amounts of large stone through the air and began settling cities in the areas of modern day Kavor. They built walls large enough to keep predators out. And then they kept building. We can still find temples, aqueducts carrying the jungle rains over to the plains, and pyramids in the center of stone walls to this day. But as an empire gets too big, opinions start to divide. If it gets too bad, civil war breaks out. And it did. For a few hundred years, the continent of Orriray was a compilation of warring city states. The battles are long and tragic and many crimes were committed by many udrezo. No one could seem to gain the upper hand. While the jungle cities had the element of secrecy to some extent, they were also usually faced against multiple allied adversaries. Many grassland villages were skybombed with jagged bits of metal. It’s also theorized that Oriray had more jungle going down to at least the border of modern Mulori, but they were burned down by dropping a “devil’s casket.” It’s essentially a bamboo box filled with oil and set alight. Upon dropping it, the shoddily put together pieces go flying - releasing hot oil and fire in all directions. The losers of such battles were often resigned to slaves, or tortured. The methods of such tend to get rather ghastly. One of these torture methods accidentally lead to the invention of acupuncture. They were eventually united under the rule of Obeuza. This dynasty lasted quite some time until first contact with humans from Zykim. It did not go very well. The human empires trying to get control of the continent of Zykim were in a very “conquering” mood. And Obeuza’s empire were in a very “slaving” mood. After the udrezo got a foothold on Zykim (modern day Muta), all hell broke out. In what’s now known as the War of Death’s Rise, the udrezo used their same time-forged war tactics. Humans were not totally defenseless though. The Oldhon Mountain Range that splits the continent down the middle proved vital. Even with protective layers and armors, the udrezo armies had a very hard time dealing with the cold of exceptionally high mountain ranges. The human armies used guerilla tactics to pull the udrezo further and further into the mountains. Their object was to stay alive as long as possible. When night fell on the Battle of Glenn’s Mountain Pass, the tide of the war had turned. However, with how close the humans were to defeat on their home continent, the kings and generals knew that it would be a suicide mission to even attempt the shores of Oriray once more. An uncomfortable truce was called, for some attempt at peaceful coexistence. The humans were forced to give up the land that is now Muta. Peace would not be forever within and without the udrezo though. They had many influences on the humans, and other sapient species that had come to inhabit Zykim along the way (the Scalywon and the Ithipods). Both humans and udrezo affected each other's’ culture. Udrezo gave humans much of their technology and medicine. And the Ghalt Empire’s stance on slavery affected the Udrezo. The Ghalt Empire vigorously opposed slavery, which was revolutionary at the time. Revolutionary enough for several segments of Oriray to start a revolution and break away from the empire, giving us generally the countries that we have today. Some of the things that the Udrezo gave humanity however, were not beneficial. Despite having advanced medicine there were some afflictions that the Udrezo could not cure themselves of. Most of them didn’t do much harm. The common Udrezo cold, when by random chance it jumped to humans, was skullrot. Skullrot is a terrible, terrible disease. It starts simply with some dry mouth, some fatigue, a headache, and itchy red spots. Stage 2 of the disease is bloody vomit and chest pains. Stage 3 is impaired cognitive functions (to a noticeable degree. Minor impairments can be noticed earlier) and fragile bones, hence the names. In 9 out of 10 cases it is fatal. Plagues among humans are unfortunately not an uncommon occurrence. We’ve been plagued with things like smallpox and typhus in the past. However, this was the first time in history that a plague was caused by another sapient species. Paranoia took hold. Not just among humans, but the Scalywons and the Ithipods who were largely unaffected. If people weren’t dying left and right, there most certainly would have been another war. Even to this day, the prospect of this happening again leaves a maddening political nightmare. Experts say that it’ll take 200 years for humans to get back to the levels they were once at. We’re about halfway there, so we’ll have to see. In the meantime, things did improve. The initial paranoia died out as the disease did. Most borders opened up, and Skullrot is seen as “something that happened in the past” or “something that could never happen again.” This has lead to trade routes and borders being re-opened and relations being repaired. The world is still an uneasy place though. No one knows what the consequences would be if this were to happen again, or if someone figured out a way to weaponize these constructs. Udrezo culture Udrezo have integrated into most places that humans have, with the exception of places that are too cold or are highly isolationist. The inverse is not entirely true, due to the difficulty of making a settlement that could sustain humans while leaving forest trees alone. Historical events - both major and minor - have placed Tanun, Ristesi, and Muta under udrezo control. Udrezo culture has developed differently depending on whether it exists in any of these areas, or if it adapted in the homelands of Oriray. The first thing that most outsiders tend to note is that Udrezo are highly matriarchal. Polyandry is widely practiced in Oriray (beyond it depends on the regional laws). Typically it’s done with all brothers to the same wife. Polyandry from more than two families is largely frowned on, but its illegality depends on the region. “Husbands and wife” are analogous to the members of this relationship, but it’s not exactly the same. The point of origins of this tradition is unknown, as in it’s been happening before recorded history, and it has lead to incredibly harsh, almost immovable gender roles. It’s not seen as necessary to tell which of the “husbands” fathered which of the children. Legally, the mother has ownership of her children. But the mantra goes, “you’re a part of the brood, they’re your responsibility.” Each of the males in the family is equally seen as much of a father of the children as any other. This leads to families being obviously matrilineal. The idea is that the males make the eggs better for the females and the females make the world better for her eggs. This philosophy is largely unique among the sapient species, and it leads to all kinds of rumors and stereotypes that go both ways. For what it’s worth though, udrezos don’t tend to “think inferior” other species for doing things more egalitarian, or even more patriarchal. It’s largely seen as “animals doing what animals do.” Drik hunt, Scalywon swim, and we do this. This disconnect only really bubbles to the foreground when it comes to the laws of certain countries, especially when Scalywon (the most egalitarian of the sapients) have a high population. Udrezo nations are known to have several different types of governments - the most common being a plutocracy. Each province in the countries of Askely, Besori, and Kavor have a “countess” chosen by hereditary (the oldest female in the family), where they all come to a conclusion on how to run their country. They are collectively known as councils. The exception is Mulori, which still has an absolute monarchy. Muta, Ristesi, and Tanun have something in the middle due to the kings of surrounding areas finding it difficult to speak with an entire council. In the councils of Muta, Ristesi, and Tanun their hereditary council elects one of their own members to be a “queen” for a period of five years. It’s largely a figurehead title and only gives them certain diplomatic powers. Udrezo language is largely complicated. As I’ve stated, they speak through song. Certain tones conveyed in a certain order have certain meaning. It has developed about seven distinct languages, not including written languages, but it makes things difficult for other species to communicate with them on their level (and beyond writing, the inverse is not possible). Certain common Udrezo words can contain clashing chords and other unpalatable sounds. Music by default charges humans with emotion where that aspect of music doesn’t affect the udrezo at all. So a diplomat may hear a “very sad song” about a war victory or glorious triumph. Even beyond that fact, most humans (or other sapients for that matter) don’t really exhibit the ability to sing - a prerequisite for even learning a udrezo language. This has kept udrezo cultures hesitant to change from outside influences. It’s not like Udrezo culture is devoid of art though. These are creatures of sight. Both males and females seem to like things of bright colors, and things that shine and shimmer. Many important udrezos fly around wearing gaudy bits of gold or silver, and in the upper classes it has been lined in their furniture. This has led them into developing many great statues and many great paintings. Much of their technology has also weaseled its way into udrezo culture. They tend to take multiple baths each day with their irrigation systems. Acupuncture is common practice, and the mother often teaches her children ways of combat - if not for practical sense, for traditional sense. Home education is generally widely practiced within udrezo culture, even if the family would be wealthy enough to attend a university of some kind. Before the War of Death’s Rising, the common religion in udrezo nations was Folansi, and it is still practiced among many to most udrezo families, although there have been plenty of Editrudist converts over the years. It is a polytheistic religion with 16 different major goddesses. There are the goddesses of the physical sphere: earth, water, fire and wind. There are the goddesses of the technis sphere: cold, sand, metal, and lightning. There are goddesses of the balance sphere: light, darkness, luck, and soul. And then there are goddesses of the inner sphere: thought, evil, fate, and the cosmos. To go into detail about each of the goddesses, and their minor pantheon, and the elements and tenants of which they represent would take much too long for this entry. This has given the number 16 a lot of cultural significance to the udrezo. Most councils contain 16 members, if not in government, then definitely in the clergy. They’ve divided the year into 16 segments. 3 segments have 22 days, and the fourth (representative of one of the inner sphere goddesses) has 23 days. And needless to say, celibacy is not encouraged among this religion. Much of the religion focuses on attaining mastery of one’s inner self and banishing one’s imperfections. This leads to many different kinds of celebrations, done with community. However, actual forms of worship tend to be done within the home. At age 15, the females go through a sort of coming of age ceremony that is a very solemn occasion. Everyone wears obsidian necklaces, and the only other time they tend to wear those is during a funeral. It’s generally believed that an udrezo suffers two deaths: the loss of their life, and the loss of their innocence. Category:Miscellaneous